Ceannt Station Quarter


The Ceannt Station Quarter is a planned urban quarter for the city of Galway, County Galway, Ireland. As the name suggests, the new district will be built around the city's rail station, Ceannt Station, which will itself undergo a major redevelopment as part of the project.

Site

Currently, Ceannt Station takes up an area of 0.99 ha. However, the site takes up an area of 5.97 ha, and the new 'urban quarter' will take up 3.80 ha of this land while the station will take up 2.17 ha.

Railway station redevelopment

Ceannt Station will undergo a major redevelopment to make it the most modern transport hub on the island of Ireland. The two railway platforms will be upgraded to three to cope, with the addition of commuter rail services in 2008/09. Bus services also form a major part of this, with 25 bus bays to be positioned next to the rail platforms. A taxi rank will also be located immediately outside the station, and car and bicycle parking will be located near to the station as well. The station will be designed in 'cathedral' style, with a fully glass roof providing natural light as well as heat in the winter months and reducing both in the summer.

Urban Quarter

The Urban Quarter will take up most of the site and will be built on what is now derelict railway works. The area will be environmentally friendly and partially self-sufficient, using greywater systems and solar panels as well as architecture to provide both heat and light naturally to areas both outside and inside buildings.
The area will be built outdoors on various levels to maximise the use of space.
The site will be arranged as follows
In addition, existing buildings, particularly historical ones, will be not demolished but rather redeveloped and made habitable to preserve Galway's existing traditional architecture.
The quarter is a key link in linking Galway's three major bodies of water, Lough Corrib, Lough Atalia and Galway Bay.